Applying for children with special educational needs
Applying for children with special educational needs
Most children and young people with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND) attend and have their needs supported in a mainstream school or college.
If your child does not have an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP), you should apply for school through regular admissions processes.
If you want your child’s medical, social or special needs to be considered when applying for school, you should provide details on the application and support this with information from a professional.
Medical, social or special educational needs are not a priority category, but these factors can be used as a tiebreaker within a category.
If your child has an Education, Health and Care Plan
Children and young people with EHC Plans attend:
- mainstream schools and colleges
- integrated resources (specialist units in mainstream schools)
- special schools
You can only apply for a special school or integrated resource if your child has an EHC Plan.
If you're undergoing an assessment, but we haven't yet agreed to issue a plan, you should apply for your child's school place through the normal admissions process. Find out more information about EHC Plans on the Sheffield Directory.
If your child has an EHCP, their school place will be arranged by our SEND Statutory Assessment and Review Service (SENDSARS), not through the general admission process.
SENDSARS will contact you when it's time to apply to discuss your preferred education setting.
They'll do this when your child is due to move from:
- nursery to primary
- primary to junior
- junior to secondary
- secondary to Post 16
Moving your child mid-year
If you'd like your child to move to a different school in-year or outside normal admission times, you should ask for an emergency review of their EHC Plan.
You can ask your child’s current school or SENDSARS for this.